spidermike007

Absolutely spot on. Never forget he is the ONLY PM in Thai history to pass populist policies, that actually benefited the Thai common man. Universal health care was huge. It is likely Prayuth and his thoughtless cronies attempted to dismantle it, without success.

None. One has to understand he lives in a ivory tower, has immense wealth (nobody knows how much after 8 years of grifting), and is surrounded by sycophants. So, when he is questioned, he simply cannot cope. He would be a far more effective dictator, than PM. That he admires dictators is amply demonstrated with his love of the Burmese despots and the serial killer MBS.

The human body can be an incredibly resilient thing. White bread in general is very poor quality food. It has little to no nutritional value, or fiber. And it has very little taste, compared to whole rye or other delicious whole grain breads. I guess the question is, do you suffer from the health deficiencies normally associated with processed flour? Constipation. High blood sugar. Hypertension. Heart disease. Fatty liver issues. Any of those? If not, keep doing what you are doing.

I am still in Thailand, and I love every day here. Just left Samui in the rear view. I miss the tropical weather, the maritime breezes and the beauty. But, not much else about Samui.

I see this kind of utter foolishness and recklessness all the time, and wonder why more people don't get taken out. Darwin was right. Some are just not fit for this world, lacking the necessary survival skills. Risk is one thing, very dumb is another.

Is this tantamount to a confession that in 8 years of power, the army is both helpless and indifferent?

This rather thin skinned man is set off quite easily. He likely either has some serious self esteem issues, or hates his job. So, one would wonder, why does he want to continue? Is it just a pathological need to be considered powerful? When is enough, enough?

There are countless naive folks who actually believe the biggest joke is real, and he is actually a crime fighter. What can one say? There are always some who buy the nonsense of a self aggrandizing huckster, and a police force in dramatic need to some good PR. Anyone else come to mind?

Sorry to hear. Yes, when it is time for the grim reaper to visit not much we can do.

I left Samui nearly a decade ago. I loved it for many years. It can be a beautiful island, if you get away from the blight of the Ring Road. But, the extreme lack of pride on the part of the officials, and many of the Thai locals, combined with the massive over development forced me out. Glad I left. I still visit often.

They will buy as many votes as they can. And the entire process will be compromised and riddled with moral and ethical bankruptcy. That is just who and what Prayuth and the Royal Thai army are.

In a Click, I feel every bump, and if I put a passenger in the back, it is highly unstable. Not my first choice, though an economical one.

All of Samui, and the rest of the planet. The problem with the Thai authorities is they think Thailand exists within a vacuum. It doesn't. Not these days. This kind of news travels, and the entire planet regards the RTP as a sideshow, a circus, a group of clownish imposters with little skill or motivation, who rarely engage in law enforcement. They fool nobody.

If anyone ever questioned the level of moral bankruptcy and social rot that the Thai army represents, look no further. They are true vampires, sucking the blood of society.

If I were the parent, legal remedies and discipline from the school would be my last line of action. Sometimes, more drastic action is called for.

And $2,100 at a US emergency room, or $300 and up at a private clinic. Thailand is very reasonable for medical care, as long as you know the spots to avoid.

You simply went to the wrong place. Some hospitals are quite expensive here. Many are not. And a small clinic could have helped you for next to nothing. It is fairly hard for me to relate to this post. I am not a rich man. But, I find the public hospitals here to be extremely fair, with their pricing. Even a visit to Bangkok Hospital, to see an orthopedic specialist, get some x-rays, and an exam costs me $60. At a private clinic in the US, probably $300-400. A visit to the emergency room of a hospital in the US, costs $2,000 and up. For an hour visit. In a public hospital here, that same visit is about 600 baht. They are charging so little to the Thai people, due to universal health care. And that is a very good thing for the people. They have to make up for it, to some extent with us. What is the issue with that? I am quite happy with the medical care here, and the associated costs. No complaints from me. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1.4 million baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a buddy in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, who knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1.4 million at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at the other private hospital in Bangkok (I think it was Vejthani Hospital), and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 32,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

I urge a new administration due to poor air quality, no ideas about how to fix the problem., and not one creative soul in the entire government here. Lock them all up.

Anything that comes out of the mouth of the biggest joke, cannot be taken seriously. He is a grandstanding, PR grabbing, nonsense spinner. The real problem is, they will not go after these guys. Not the top bankers, not the high ranking guys, not the provincial authorities, and certainly not the army, or the police. They are all corrupt beyond imagination. And the level of corruption simply escalates, the further up the food chain you go. The police, immigration and the army are not expected to be honest, and they are not expected to engage in law enforcement, traffic or public safety, on any level. It is an irrevocably broken and dysfunctional system. Any hyperbole to the contrary, is just a smoke screen, intended to deceive the most naive amongst us. The Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT) is one of the most feeble and ineffective of all the tools Prayuth has used to deceive the people into believing that he is fighting corruption. Who was the last high level authority, in the police, immigration, the army, or the active administration they arrested, charged, tried convicted, and sent to prison? Nobody. Zero. Nunca. Nada. Why? Because Prayuth has had a mandate from the beginning to do the very opposite. To protect the elite, the super wealthy who are guilty, those that are connected, and those who are in power. Just think Dark Tao. Just think Red Bull. The list goes on, and on, and on. Only the most naive amongst us believe he or ACT secretary-general Mana Nimitmongkol are sincere about this. It barely matters. These guys are above the law. Any and all laws. The only time they are arrested is when it becomes big news, or it is reported internationally, and Thailand gets a ton of egg on it's face. And even then, it normally does not result in a conviction. Very, very few current (not former) police, immigration, customs, cabinet officials, army officials, or administration officials are arrested here, tried, convicted and imprisoned. My guess is it is one of the lowest rates in the world. The corruption here is never ending.

Let us hope this is not becoming more commonplace. One of the things that attracts alot of us is the relatively low crime rate, committed against foreigners. Prayuth has failed the people so miserably, that there is alot more poverty, homelessness, unemployment, suicide, and desperation happening right now. More than ever before. Let us hope this kind of thing does not escalate, as we continue to endure the "Prayuth precipice". Thailand is still a very safe place for most of us. Not Dark Tao. That is a very dangerous island. At least it used to be. A poster on here commented on another related thread, that they finally got rid of the serial killing son of the headman of Sairee Beach. Somehow. That likely makes the island safer.

Huh? How to respond to such a generalization. He was asking for sound advice. Like saying all countries are great to live in. Next time, please devote at least 3 minutes of thought to your reply.

I think getting any kind of loan here is difficult unless you have a work permit. My Thai wife has good credit, and we have gotten loans on new cars and it was fairly easy. But, I was not involved in the financing.

The PCX is a very decent bike. The ADV has many improvements and is a step up. I love the new Honda Forza 350 and own one. Like it alot more than the Yamaha Xmax 350.

I used to visit often, learned to dive there and enjoyed it. But, it has changed alot, and at this point I will never return to Dark Tao. Gald to hear they banished Nomsod. Hope he suffers a very painful and prolonged illness, that leads to his death. So do countless others. He inflicted alot of misery on alot of people.

If budget is not your top consideration, buy the Honda ADV 160. It is a great bike for around town. If you might take some shorter road trips with it, the new Honda ADV 350 or the Forza 350 are both alot of bike for the money, but not cheap at 175,000 and up. I would avoid the Click and similar bikes, if you are over 80 kg. They are built for smaller people and are just not very stable or comfortable to ride. And buy new. It is worth it.